A Very Merry Game of Thrones Christmas!
by themorgue
Summary: A Collection of Modern Day AU Christmas ficlets - due to the fact there's no such thing as Christmas in Westeros. It's 4 short and sweet stories of different ships, filled with fluff and Christmas cheer! I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them. Merry Christmas!
1. Twas' the Night Before Christmas Eve

It was the day before Christmas eve, and the whole stark house was buzzing with Christmas spirit. Arya was notably excited, and this year she'd finally been old enough to buy her brothers and sisters presents by herself. She wanted to get something special for everyone, and her mother had successfully helped her pick out wonderful gifts for the entire family. For Rickon she'd picked a large stuffed bear, and for Bran she'd gotten a book full of scary short stories. She knew he liked the scary ones, and she thought he'd really enjoy Luwin reading from them. For Sansa she'd gotten a nice gown - a beautiful purple that would hang past her knees. It seemed perfect for her sister, and it was her favorite color. Robb would be receiving two thick books all about the world wars - because history and war was something her brother was always interested in, and she knew he was enlisting soon. She'd made Ned a an embroidered pillow for the den. She'd learned how thanks to her lessons from her mother, but she wasn't as happy with it as she'd like to be. Her mother she'd gotten knitting needles and a ball of yarn. She was excited about Catelyn's gift because it was the only one she'd gotten to pick out all by herself. She knew her mother would be pleased with her, and the thought made her smile.

The hardest of all to buy for had been her half brother Jon. He was her best friend, and she wanted to get him something he'd absolutely love. She'd spent almost an hour looking for something that Jon would love - and when she found it she'd been incredibly happy. It took a long, long time for her to convince her mom it'd be a good idea - but finally she'd been able to take home the small white puppy for her half brother.

The Kennel was taking care of the animal until Christmas Day, but until then Arya would have to busy herself wrapping all her gifts. She hadn't done it before, and her mother told her she'd help - but Arya wanted to do it all by herself. She was hunched over the kitchen table, across from the silver and white decorated tree - trying to make each gift perfect. She was done almost everything save Rickon's bear. They were awful looking packages stuck together with too much tape and too little paper, flaps of Santa covered gift wrap covered the places she'd missed.

She got up and stood over the large stuffed animal and began to unravel the rest of the role of paper, tongue hanging out of her mouth as she cut the very large square. She didn't even notice Jon arrive, and as he stepped behind her she began to drape the wrapping paper over the plush's head.

She dropped what she was doing as she felt the hand her hair, mussing it up as he always did - and she immediately knew who it was. She turned and smiled - jumping up and into his arms. "Jon!" She shouted, cheek pressing against his.

He caught her expertly and smiled, curly hair falling into his face as his sister wrapped her hands around his neck. She let her face lean back to look at him, and he laughed. "What are you up to, little sister?" he asked, dropping her down to the floor. She bounded back to the table and pointed at all the presents, smile on her face from ear to ear. "Wrapping presents." She said with a large smile, watching Jon's smiling eyes scan the gifts on the table. He counted them and frowned, tilting his head. "Six.. Well isn't somebody missing? Who doesn't get a present?" He asked, wondering if Arya had just gotten a bit forgetful - or if she just didn't think to buy for him.

Her eyes looked at Jon irritatingly and shook her head. "No Silly.." She said, angry that her brother thought she'd done a bad job. Of coarse she'd gotten a present for all of her family members. "Yours isn't here. It's a surprise and it can't be in the house." She said defiantly, and Jon raised his eyebrows. Somehow he didn't believe her, but he didn't mind. Catelyn must have told her not to worry about him. He knelt down and patted her head - nodding. "Well you did a great job wrapping. Would you like help with the bear?" he asked, and chuckled as Arya immediately shook her head. "I can do it." She said insistently, turning and running back to the bear. Jon sat in the chair beside the hastily wrapped gifts and leaned back - watching his sister struggle to wrap her scrawny arms around the bear to secure the two pieces of paper behind his head.

He let her wrap the entire bear by herself because if he tried to help he knew he'd just get punched and shoved away - the little smile on her face showing she appreciated the effort on his part. She was in the state of mind where she could do anything she put her mind to, and she really wanted to make this Christmas a good one. It took her about 20 minutes but when she finally stood back and admired her work she smiled. The paper was crinkled and ripped, but the bear was concealed and she was happy - turning and looking at Jon with a large toothy grin.

"See Jon! I did it." She said happily, hair still frizzed from when Jon had screwed it up. He stood to smooth it down and smiled warmly down at her. "I knew you could." He said, stepping back. "C'mon, let's put them under the tree." he said softly, taking the bear in his arms being careful not to rip the paper further.

She nodded and picked up the books, helping Jon take all her presents and add them to the pile under the towering tree, the angel looking down on them when they stood at the right angle. When all the presents were under and arranged properly Arya plopped down on Jon's lap, looking up at the tree as she reclined against his chest.

"I really did get you a present. I can tell when you're upset." She said gently after a few moments of silence.

He paused and looked at the side of her face, frowning. "I'm sure you did.." He said, believing her in that moment - but he wondered what the present would be.. especially since it couldn't be wrapped.

She swiveled around and faced him, face serious as Ned's would have been. "What did you get me?" she asked, her seriousness breaking at the sight of Jon's smile.

"It's a surprise." He said, tickling her underarms. He got a harsh punch for that and he rubbed his chest, laughing along with her. "Merry Christmas little sister." He said, and at that she settled back against him and watched the lights on the tree flicker.

"Merry Christmas Jon."


	2. Stannis' Star

Sansa was placing the last red orb on the Christmas tree when Stannis entered the living area - watching as the redhead studied her work. It was a beautifully decorated tree and Sansa was delighted, smiling wide as she watched the red and white lights flickering in unison. She turned after a moment to acknowledge her husband, cheeks red and flushed. "Hello!" she said, watching Stannis' gaze turn toward her crude sweater - reindeer prancing through snow against the red fleece.

"Is.. Is this a Christmas tree?" he asked, grinding his teeth as he thought about how much electricity it would use up just in an hour. She nodded in excitement and shrugged. "I mean - It's always so drab around here - I thought it could use a dash of Christmas spirit." She noticed he looked a little stressed, so she bit her lip as the smile on her face faded. "I'm sorry.." She said lightly, her flush getting even redder. It seemed to relieve Stannis a bit when she apologized, and he took her hands a little too hard - pulling her towards him. "No, No - It's.. Beautiful." he said after studying the tree for a few moments. "Shireen will be pleased. We haven't had a tree since Selyse was alive."

He knew at least his daughter would benefit from this waste of power, but it made him smile faintly. If it made his family happy he couldn't help but be pleased himself... He supposed. She giggled slightly and looked down at his chest to avert eye contact - a little nervous about celebrating Christmas here. It was the first year she'd spent with her new groom, and to be honest she was a little scared of how he'd approach her love of the Holiday season.

She'd spent the last few weeks working at soup kitchens and shopping with Shireen - buying for her family old and new. She also donated a few gifts to a childrens charity, and all of her deeds made her feel ready to start sprucing up the house she shared with the Baratheon man.

She looked back up at him and kissed his cheek, thinking she almost saw the faintest blush as she turned around and picked up the star sitting on the armchair. It was a grand, red star - and it was what she planned to top the tree with. She reluctantly offered the star to Stannis and bit her lower lip, clearing her throat before speaking.

"I understand if you don't want to.. But I'd really like it if you could be a part of this." She started, playing with the coils at the bottom of the red ornament. "Would you like to top the tree?" She asked him, brushing her red hair from her face with her opposite hand.

He blinked and ran his fingers over the rough red sparkles before taking the star in his thick hands. He understood in that moment how all along Sansa just wanted to make him a part of the Holiday so they could do something as a family. It made his heart warm and he nodded faintly. "Of coarse." He said, brushing past her and reaching up to place the fat red shape on-top of the fluffy tree. He stepped back and looked at his work, Sansa's arms wrapping around his chest - head resting on his shoulder. "It's lovely, dear" She said sweetly, kissing his ear. He couldn't help but smile slightly at that, and he turned around abruptly - taking her back in his arms. "Thanks.." He said lowly, appreciative of the gesture.

She could hardly believe he was smiling, and she giggled slightly - kissing his lips tenderly. "You're welcome, Stannis." She said lightly, laughing as he turned her around - dipping her. "I could get used to this.. Christmas stuff." he said - bringing her back up.

She ran a hand through his hair from the back and nodded. "I was hoping you'd say that." She said. "Now go get Shireen and tell her the tree's finished." Stannis smiled and let her go, letting Sansa get to organizing the presents under the tree. He turned and walked off, finding himself whistling a tune he heard Sansa play a few days before.


	3. Snowy Day on Bear Island

"Jorah this is magnificent!" Daenerys exclaimed, twirling around in the snow. The older man smiled and stood watching - excited that she was having a nice time. He'd taken her to his hometown in Bear Island, where it snowed during the winter months - unlike Dany was used to where she lived. The girl had never seen snow before and she was overjoyed.

Her dark jeans were tucked into her white boots, and she was bundled up in a black coat with a white scarf around her neck. She brushed her silver hair out behind her earmuffs, running forward to enclose her gloved hands around Jorah's neck. "Thank you so much for bringing me here. I've always wanted to play in the snow - ever since I was a little girl." she said, and as Jorah hugged her back he said. "Well, I'm glad you're here. I'm happy to grant this wish to you." he said almost sternly, watching as she bounded away and sat down in the thick piles of snow coating the ground.

She lied down and looked up at the sky - watching the snow fall above her and closing her eyes as she felt the flakes fall cold on her face, melting and dripping across her cheeks. Her hair almost blended in against the white of the snow and when she began moving her arms and legs to make a snow angel the only way to distinguish the two was the subtle movements of the thick strands.

She made sure she got up carefully as not to wreck her creation, and she looked down and smirked. "Snow angel.." She muttered, turning to look at Jorah. She knew he'd probably seen all these things a million times- even done them as a child, but it still didn't mean she wasn't proud.

He stepped forward to inspect her work and smiled, putting an arm around her. "It's almost as beautiful as you." He said, looking over her face. She smiled and looked back at Jorah - shaking her head. "Nothing could be as beautiful as snow." She said, kissing his cheek gently before running off. She stopped at a pile of snow - smile planted on her face as she balled up some snow, letting it sail into the air and hit Jorah in the chest. She laughed as she bent down to make another - Jorah simply chuckling to himself as he bent to make a hasty snowball, throwing it softly enough to hit her in the side of the head.

She screamed at the hit and wiped the snow off her cheek, turning and running toward him. Before he knew what was happening Dany had thrown a fistful of snow down his shirt - the snow melting against his warm chest. He laughed wrapped his arms around her - picking her up and carrying towards the door as she giggled and playfully hit his back with her small fists.

"Come on, Thanks to you I have to change. We can play in the snow again tomorrow." He said, opening the door as she slumped against his body. He let her go when they were back inside the house - both of them beginning to undress from their outdoor clothing. The place was decorated for Christmas, complete with ceramic Santas and a plump Christmas tree. She nodded as Jorah excused himself to go change and she took it upon herself to start a fire.

She huddled up in her white sweater and sat down beside the small fire she had going - running her fingers through her hair idly as she waited. She had Jorah's gift with her, and it was placed next to her thigh - wrapped in red paper and a beautiful green bow. It was something she picked because it instantly made her think of him, and she wanted him to have it.

When he finally emerged, he sat across from her - looking at the fire and scooting a little closer to the flames. "Thanks. The heat isn't working too well around here." He said, to which she shrugged. "It's alright. I just wanted to say thanks again for all of this - you really didn't have to." It was sort of hard to spend Christmas with somebody she loved. Her whole family was slaughtered in their sleep - and she'd only had her abusive brother for so long. It was odd to actually have a Christmas that felt normal for once.

He nodded. He understood completely - It was part of the reason why he invited her over for the Holidays. He wanted her to know somebody cared, and that Christmas wasn't just a day. There was snow and love and joy that she could experience here - not the sad memories that clung to home. Being the last of her family took a toll, and Jorah was there to pick up the pieces.

She blinked and picked up the parcel, handing it to Jorah and looking down - violet eyes slightly nervous. "I got you something." she said. She knew she'd never had a real Christmas before, but she wanted to make it real. She enjoyed buying this gift for Jorah very much - and the thought in that moment she knew what Christmas was supposed to be about.

He wasn't expecting her to buy him anything, and despite his best effort Jorah looked surprised. "Oh, Dany - you didn't have to get me a thing." He said, abashed as the woman in-front of him shook her head. "You invited me into your home, and let me see the snow - I owe you at least this much." she said. "Now open it." She said gently - urging him on.

He couldn't deny what she said, although just her presence was enough for him. It seemed there was no more talking, so he unwrapped the gift carefully and took out the box. Inside was a small ornament of a bear - ferocious and mighty, roaring up at the sky. He smiled up at her and blushed under his beard. "Dany. Thank you - I love it." He said with a smile, Dany's blush enough to know she was glad. She was incredibly excited Jorah liked his gift, and she sighed. "I'm so glad you like it. I mean I know you take pride in where your from - especially since you haven't been here in so long." She said gently. She crawled forward and sat in his lap - moving to kiss him softly - his blush moving beyond his blond facial hair. "Merry Christmas Jorah." He said gently.

"Merry Christmas, Daenerys." He replied, moving to curl against the fire - tucking her into his arms. "I'll hang this later." He said, admiring the ornament sitting in-front of him. It almost looked like the bear's jaws were swallowing the fire, and Mormont knew he didn't mind the heat.


	4. Gifts Wrapped in Red and Gold

It was Christmas Eve at Casterly Rock estate, and Cersei was watching her favorite Christmas movie - How the Grinch Stole Christmas. She was trying to pass the time until she had to go to bed, too excited about the day to come to think about anything else. She enjoyed her time when Tywin was gone - working double because he took Christmas day off. Mostly because she got to spend time with Jaime. They've been sneaking around since they were 13 and now that they were 16 they enjoyed all the time they had together even more.

They had the entire night, so Jaime was spending some time with Tyrion before he had to go to bed - helping him wrap presents for the morning. She didn't understand her brother's undying love for the dwarf, but she supposed it was Christmas after all.

She was at the part where the Grinch was in Cindy's house when her two brother's entered the living room, and she turned down the television. She saw Jaime's grin and smiled cooly while standing. Tyrion was in Jaime's arms, hugging his neck - and her twin turned him around. "Say goodnight to Cersei Tyrion." He said, her baby brother giggling. "G'night SeeSee." He said, and Cersei replied with a little wave. "Goodnight." She replied, ruffling his hair and taking her seat back on the couch.

She was excited Tyrion was going to bed finally. He was tuckered out from the excitement of the day, and he refused to go to bed most of the night because he wanted to see Santa - but finally he couldn't resist the tiredness any longer and consented. Besides, she didn't know what was so special about Christmas Eve anyway. The morning was what she liked best - especially when mother was alive, and her and her brother woke up to the smell of gingerbread.

She was reminiscing when Jaime returned, plopping down on the couch beside her and placing his arm around her tightly. "Well. Here we are Cers." He said, sure of himself and full of confidence. She could tell he was just as excited as she was - especially since it was Christmas. It wasn't always about sex, but they liked being able to be affectionate with each other without having to worry. "Yeah." She said, pouncing up on his lap. She wasn't the most affectionate girl in the world, but she guessed with Jaime something was just different. "I'm so excited for Christmas Jaime." She said. "What do you think dad got you?" She asked, arms wrapped around his neck.

He shrugged. "Don't care. I know what I want." He said, leaning up and stealing a quick kiss. She blushed and shook her head - rolling her eyes. "No seriously." She said stubbornly. "I think he got me a new horse." she said, but she wasn't exactly sure. Of coarse she would receive more than one present - but the big one was the most fun to guess.

Again Jaime just smirked and pulled a crimson bow from between the couch cushions, pressing the sticky paper against her hair. "There's my present." He said, and she pouted - plucking the bow from her hair and playfully shoving it onto his forehead. "And there's mine." she replied with an evil smile.

Suddenly her brother shoved her on-top of him so she was straddling his waist - tickling her sides as she thrashed around, hitting his chest with her balled up fists. When he stopped she collapsed onto his chest- giggling and curling up against him, tucking her golden head under his chin as she reached for the remote. She brushed away the forgotten ribbon as she turned up the television, biting her lip as they both settled in to watch a movie.

It was irritating that Jaime was the only one in the world that could make her lose her cool, and feel insecure - she almost felt like she wasn't herself around him - but she knew that wasn't true. She was completely herself with him, and she was whole. There was nobody else she would ever want to spend Christmas with. She felt incredibly thankful for the first time in a long time.

He broke the silence with his voice - keeping it down so he wouldn't wake Tyrion. "This movie again? Don't you watch this like a thousand times every Christmas?" he asked, acknowledging the green creature. "Don't you get bored of it?" He asked.

Shrugging Cersei licked her lips. "No. I just like it. It's my favorite." She replied gently. She always watched this movie. She felt strangely attached to it - mostly because her mother had read it to her as a child, and it was short and sweet. Jaime didn't like Christmas movies too much, but he watched them with her anyway.

He chuckled. "I guess I get it." He said, looking over at their grand Christmas tree in the middle of the window - studying the presents under the tree. "Hey, Cers. What did you get me?" He asked, running his fingers through her hair gently.

She looked up and gave him a small smile, shaking her head. "You know I'm not gonna tell you. I like to make you wait." She said teasingly, kissing his jaw. "And besides, it's not like you have to wait very long to find out. I mean Christmas is tomorrow." She said with a small shrug.

She lied down against him again and began to watch the rest of the movie, figuring he'd dropped the subject. It took a while but finally he spoke up again. "I got a call from dad earlier. He'll be out for the night, so If you wanna sleep in my room you can." He said, and at that Cersei was overjoyed. She moved forward and hugged him tighter, kissing him long and hard. "Awesome!" she said with a smile, sitting up. "Let's go now. I'm too excited to stay up any longer anyway." She said, getting up and pulling him with her.

They walked silently up to Jaime's room, closing the door behind them so the cleaning lady didn't see them in the morning. They both striped down to their underclothes and climbed into bed, legs tangled together as their's foreheads touched. They stayed like that talking for a while, but finally they began to drift off.

Jaime yawned and kissed her nose, closing his eyes. "Merry Christmas Cers." He said gently - holding her tighter. "I love you." He whispered, Cersei's heart slamming against her chest.

"I love you too Jaime. Merry Christmas."


End file.
